Child Bride

Norah, our four year old daughter, was invited to her first 'school friend' birthday party. It was an exciting time for her. We had a lot of fun planning ahead to the day, which included shopping for a gift.

Having two boys that are almost two years old, I struggled very much so with having to think of an appropriate gift for a 5 year old boy. Norah, although always full of ideas, was struggling with the same thing.

After shopping for a good while and pointing out every dollhouse, Barbie set and girly stickers she could find (and trying to convince me that the child whose birthday party she was going to attend might be a girl... ya, sly one....), we left a store empty-handed and a little bit frustrated....

As we were walking away, she thought of the perfect gift!

" - I - will be his present!" She stares up at me with smiling eyes, and an even bigger grin on her face.

"Um, I don't .... Um, Norah, what do you mean?" Thinking that she was concocting yet another way to give something that she would enjoy as a gift if she were to receive it....

"I will wear my wedding dress (which is one she wore as a flower girl in my sister's wedding), and I will be his gift!"

"You want to be his gift?"

"Yes, I will marry him!!!" She squeals with excitement.

"Honey, that means that you will have to go and live with him and be his wife."

"Yah!! Wouldn't that be awesome!!! I would LOVE to do that!"

Needless to say, we found a gift that was suitable at the next store..... because, there is no way that I was going to tell her father that I was marrying her off at the age of four!

After sitting back and thinking about this, I think that it's really awesome that, in this day and age, Norah still thinks that being someone's bride is the best gift that she can give to someone. I hope that she never forgets that her value as a person, and if she so chooses as a bride one day, is never diminished if she chooses to share her life with someone. In a way, it's kind of nice to know that she still sees it as a glamorous job. I hope she never forgets that having a family (even if you have to care for it) is SOOO worth it and that every single person you add to your life makes it that much more rich.

Ahhh, love it when my daughter reminds me of wonderful things. :)